My biggest gripes/annoyances about MMORPG's

[Captain Bland]

I know there have probably been hundreds of discussions and debates about the subject, but after having played about 2 years World of Warcraft and coming close to quitting, I thought id share my annoyances, and hopefully find a MMORPG that has 'ironed out', or atleast lessened some of the issues(I wont mention grind, because as it seems nigh all online RPG's have it in some way or form)I want to discuss.(Keep in mind that im talking from one point of view, so take it with a pinch of salt)

Leveling: It may not be as big an issue in other games, but unless you joined the game during the 'levelling rush' in the first few months, it can be hard to find other players in the lower level zones-also, higher level players tend to have general dislike for low-levels, making the grind even longer.

Faction Balance: I dont think faction imbalances come from the way the factions are designed, more the way they're advertised-for example the Horde and Alliance from World of Warcraft-now, it may seem obvious if you've played, but subtle things such as the Horde having a red banner and the Alliance banner blue,the alliance having the lion symbol, which is more closely related to bravery(chronicles of Narnia'ish)and the Horde's races-of which should be outcasts or anti-heroes, being more closely related to those of the Lord of the Rings universe. As a whole faction imbalance may not seem big, but if you're on the Pvp server with this issue you WILL notice.

Customer to Developer communication:There is no direct communication between the two, instead players post thier concerns on the Forums, which is then read by the CM of each respective forum, abridged to highlight the main points and then sent to the developer. Its understandable, and saves the Developer reading through long walls of text, yet it's not exactly the same in practice. Most structured threads are seemingly ignored (there is no confirmation as to whether the post has been read or not unless the CM actually posts)while other 'whine threads' are acknowledged.

Class Balance: I cant really say much that has'nt been said before, really.

Maybe its because WoW is trying to be everything, a Pve game, a PvP game/e-sport and Roleplaying Game, but considering it's one of the most-if not the most popular MMORPG I find it appauling that it can't adress these issues. Even moreso because rather than invest some time into fixing said issues they're working on ANOTHER expansion pack!(I know ive gone off the tangent here, but I feel somewhat cheated of £216 here)

Anyway, thanks for reading, if you've got you're own annoyances or disagree with me please
comment.

P.S About my name, I could'nt think of ANYTHING, so yeah.

 

[Nikonov]

I get griped at for disliking this genre all the time. I must have missed the memo that said games don't have to be fun and should be paid for on a monthly basis after you've already bought them.

Personally, I think Guild Wars is the only exception to the "I ARE HAET MURMORPERGURS" argument. Minimum grind (Or no grind at all if you aren't actively trying to level up to the cap of 20), interesting gameplay, easy on the computer and, of course, easy on the F'ing wallet. You buy the game, it's yours; no stupid monthly fees. The "expansions" (with the exception of Eye of the North) are actually just stand-alone games and when you have more than one of them your character can freely travel between them if I'm not mistaken.

Not only that but classes aren't stupidly restricted as to what they can do. There's millions of combinations of skills so you can play pretty much however you want. Don't get me wrong, I still hate the genre and those who enjoy them, I just think Guild Wars is a shining example of what all MMORPG's should be.

Edit: Also. Witty references in-game for the win.

 

[Mr_Spectre]

I have a general disposition towards people, especially when they don't have to see you face to face. Which means they tend to sink to a new level of stupid that you don't see in the real world, that is my gripe against mmorpg's, the players in it, of course I have the same gripe with online shooters and games like Warcraft 3 Frozen Thrones: Defense of the Ancients. But as for looking for game based complaints in mmo's its the character builds, they become so redundant in a majority of mmo's you never see someone other than the sad individual you are already scared of because they devote their lives to the game that wishes to be a generic cleric or healer because the character design is just boring and obselete.

 

[Mr_Spectre]

I have a general disposition towards people, especially when they don't have to see you face to face. Which means they tend to sink to a new level of stupid that you don't see in the real world, that is my gripe against mmorpg's, the players in it, of course I have the same gripe with online shooters and games like Warcraft 3 Frozen Thrones: Defense of the Ancients. But as for looking for game based complaints in mmo's its the character builds, they become so redundant in a majority of mmo's you never see someone other than the sad individual you are already scared of because they devote their lives to the game that wishes to be a generic cleric or healer because the character design is just boring and obselete.

 

[The Reverend]

Like Mr_Spectre, my main annoyance that comes from mmorpg's is the people who play them. Obviously not everyone who plays them require a less than formal day out with an angry prison population, but there are many people who adhere to the rule of Anominity + Audience = Complete idiot. Also, there are people who live in certain countries who seem to think that only there fellow countrymen deserve to have the grace of playing with them, and everyone else can shove off. While this kind of "e-patriotism" is all well and good, it unfortunately brings me (and I assume others) to tar all members of that country with the same brush, which in turn only promotes more of this behavior.

 

[Captain Bland]

I have a general disposition towards people, especially when they don't have to see you face to face. Which means they tend to sink to a new level of stupid that you don't see in the real world...

I believe that since the person is 'hiding' behind a character it gives them a sort of mask which again is one of the more annoying issues, usually the person is'nt a complete jackass in real life.

And about the character design, I think the main issue is class balance. More specifically designing the classes so each has a unique/vital aspect that can't be done better or more efficiently than any other class, and balancing it with the different aspects of the game(PvP, Pve etc, WoW has this problem aswell)

 

[Prons]

My gripe is that I hate soloing. I was really disapointed that Tabula Rasa forces you to solo by not having a Look for group mechanism other than standing around and shouting asking for groups. When you put so much of an emphasis on soloing, it's as if forgetting the whole point of "massively online multiplayer"

My favorite MMO is Final Fantasy XI, it forces you to party, and due to it's job system you can find a party at pretty much every level of the game because even the top veterans still have to go back and level other jobs at one point. I'm in love with the job system because if your class is unbalanced you can go back and level a new job without having to start over from nill.

 

[propertyofcobra]

I get griped at for disliking this genre all the time. I must have missed the memo that said games don't have to be fun and should be paid for on a monthly basis after you've already bought them.

Personally, I think Guild Wars is the only exception to the "I ARE HAET MURMORPERGURS" argument. Minimum grind (Or no grind at all if you aren't actively trying to level up to the cap of 20), interesting gameplay, easy on the computer and, of course, easy on the F'ing wallet. You buy the game, it's yours; no stupid monthly fees. The "expansions" (with the exception of Eye of the North) are actually just stand-alone games and when you have more than one of them your character can freely travel between them if I'm not mistaken.

Not only that but classes aren't stupidly restricted as to what they can do. There's millions of combinations of skills so you can play pretty much however you want. Don't get me wrong, I still hate the genre and those who enjoy them, I just think Guild Wars is a shining example of what all MMORPG's should be.

Edit: Also. Witty references in-game for the win.

I was gonna say something, but you nailed it. Guild Wars is what all MMORPGs should try to be, as I have ALWAYS said, the roof should be wide and low, not high and narrow. You should have five hundred equally viable possibilities per class (if you must have classes), not...three.

 

[Mr_Spectre]

I wonder if Yahtzee ever gets tired of the near direct quoting?

 

[Melty Blood]

I believe that since the person is 'hiding' behind a character it gives them a sort of mask which again is one of the more annoying issues, usually the person is'nt a complete jackass in real life.
)

I've had a somewhat different experience with the "Mask" (so to speak). I've been able to talk freely and be friends with people I would normally never get to know or become friends with, even if they lived near me, and I feel just as comfortable with talking to some random friend online, then some random friend in real life (Although, I'm a completely paranoid bastard, so that's probably specific to me.). Call me a loser, a geek, a fag, or whatever, but that's my experience.

Although, I admit I've been a bit of a jackass online every now and again.

 

[Magnus Of Weelilplace]

<--MMORPGer

Grind gives you something to do. Even in Guild Wars there is grind.

Titles in GW = Pro status. Titles simply show up under your name whenever another player highlights it. If I have rank three Hero (the point at which you can show it off, because rank 1-2 don't allow it) it just says "Mighty Hero (3)".

For PvE things like the Cartographer titles. Which means you explore every FUCKING INCH of the world. 99% = the same as a 90% title. Or for true "1337" status the "Titles" title. The more maxed out titles that you have the higher this title goes. So that things like "People Know Me (1)" hover under you name mocking all others with your amazing "proness". Grind.

For PvP the Hero, Gladiator, or Champion titles. Which are given for earning points in different arena's. Grind.

Without it there simply isn't anything to do, accept for sit about and talk to people. Levels and in Guild Wars, Titles are what make it fun for some. They enjoy killing oodles of monsters, exploring maps, getting armor, and then showing off how far they have gotten to their friends.

I have my gripes just like you though.

GRIND IS INSANELY BORING SOMETIMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong, without it most MMO's would be out on their ass because you would be bored with it to quickly, but JESUS!

And of course...

LOL SCRUB LERN2PLEI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Annoying, but when you put nerds in a setting in which they can be better than others it is bound to happen. We just don't know how to handle power.

 

[m_jim]

They're sort of like a country road with a low speed limit...you aren't going anywhere and you're certainly not going to do it quickly.

 

[SubtleMockery]

I guess the simple answer is, don't play them. I don't recall Blizzard hiring thugs to beat people into paying for their game. Don't like the monthly fee? Don't play the game. (Or play Guild Wars) Don't like the grind? Don't play an RPG. Hate talking to idiots? Stay offline. Believe it or not, some people don't mind paying for WoW, and enjoy playing it. You don't get 10 million subscribers who only sorta like it. If you don't like the game, don't play it... it's that simple. There must be thousands of other video games to occupy one's time.

 

[ChrisP.Lettuce]

In the time I played WoW I could have finished 240 games at around 20 hours each.

I want my time back.

On topic, WoW is a very good MMORPG, It's well designed, fairly balanced and fun to play with some decent members of the community. That said...

The customer service sucks a big tank of chili farts. But it's not going to change, because people put up with it and they still hit 10 million subscriptions.

 

[Captain Bland]

Its not that I dont like the game(I would'nt have been playing for two years otherwise)it was fun, it had its faults but it was fun, but it sort of hit a downhill slope when the first expansion came out. Overall I believe it was good, but many issues still weren't adressed.

 

[Captain Bland]

The monthly subscription.........

The fact that there will always people who abuse the game and will always be better than anyone because they do..........

The fact that most people have no concept or look down upon role playing in a freaking role playing game, even if it's just a little/casual....... (ex. I constantly get criticized for having a wolf pet when a boar or a scorpion is better, I like wolves........)

The fact that practically every piece of armor has to show when you wear it so in cases when you got a wicked looking chest-piece that looks like you're wearing a kevlar, you got fucking shoulder pads showing that ruing the whole image.........

The fact that any name you'll probably be forced to pick is usually some lame variation of the name you wanted to pick or some completely random, uninspiring name.........

Could'nt have summed that up better myself-why have a character customisation(facial looks, skin colour, etc) when everyone ultimately looks the same at endgame?

Roleplaying is generally looked down upon, and the lore, or backstory of the game has been soo mutililated to fit things in-game.

I dont see why the amount of characters(letters)you are allowed could be increased to be honest

 

[FreelancerADP]

If I had a gripe with MMORPGs, it would be that for some reason, these companies seem to want to have an active dialogue with the players concerning development and in turn it seems to give the players this sense of entitlement about "customer service" and how much feedback they should expect.

On WoW and balance: It would be really easy to balance a game that never changed (see: FPS) but unfortunately, the players seem to want new content. So the game developers are obliged to try and come up with something new, but they not only have to balance that with existing content in terms of uniqueness (as no one really just wants a bigger version of the same sword) and also in terms of balance. Some developer works really hard on some awesome new trinket only to have it work in a balanced fashion in one scenario, but with the right combination of other abilities is completely broken in another.

Or, some developer makes some sort of half assed item that no one wants right now, but then later because of some small systems change, said item becomes god in those certain specific scenarios. Well fuck all, I'd hate to be a developer for Blizzard. Not to mention what seems like 30% of the forum population complaining about what only 5% of the active population is doing. Bleh.

And leveling? Leveling in WoW seems to be mostly a mechanical thing for some. When I quit playing some 4 months ago, I had 3 level 70 characters and another 5? level 60 characters. All told, I got leveling down to an art, even on a PvP server. But I never experienced the game from the casual side. For me, it was always just a chore to get to the level cap so I could raid with my new character. It would have been nice to have some sort of mechanic to be able to switch classes or something. I would have had more quality time with my friends.

On Guild Wars: Guild Wars is decent for pick-up and play PvP. So is Halo. Personally I'd rather have a more versus less involving story/PvE area.

Back to MMORPGs in general: So long as people continue to try to have a MMORPG that is an evolving work, they will have balance issues. An MMO is more than just multiplayer Final Fantasy- The community has developed high (and sometimes impossible) expectations for what an MMORPG should be, what it should have, and how much new content it should release. And part of those expectations should be that one is getting a subscription to a work in progress that will never be finished. WoW, the biggest western RPG there is, is far from polished. It's good enough, but it's not the same level of polish we've come to expect from other games, but at the same time, WoW is a whole lotta game. When I stopped, I had about 300 DAYS worth of play time. More than 7200 hours of game played. You figure that on average, there's 35 hours of play in an JRPG, that's equivilant to about 205 titles. Or like $11k dollars worth of game, all for the low, low price of $555. Not a bad deal, all things considered.

My point: Gripes stem from expectations. Examine your expectations, and use a little perspective. Realize what the truth of the matter is. If I had to name a complaint against WoW (in comparison to other MMOs) I would say a lack of transparency in communication. Not that the players don't get to talk directly to the developers, but rather that the community managers are unnecessarily vague. Which is more of an issue of PR management than anything else.

Sure, I did spend most of my time writing about WoW, but that's the game against which others are measured. A lot of people base their expectations against what they know from WoW, so it makes sense to talk a lot about it.

 

[Captain Bland]

While I do agree with some of your points Freelancer,

Its not that players want new content, or people would'nt be complaining that Wrath of the Lich King was being released-or atleast so early(in the case of Warcraft)

The devs seem to have a problem with fixing long-term problems, its frustrating that again rather than spend some time on the issue, they patch it up to please people in the short term only to create more problems down the line.

And for the community in general, yes, the players do have high expectations, but if the CM's would stop responding to the whine posts the playerbase would'nt be as angry as it is now.